Black & Decker Workmate 79-001 Marks and Labels

Workmate 79-001 Marks and Labels

Virtually all Workmate 79-001's were marked in one way or another with their model number when they left the factory, and most were marked with their Type number as well. Many that are found today have lost some or all of their markings, or the markings have become illegible. The photos below show examples of what to look for.

A summary of how different types are marked:

Many are marked in more than one spot. The Type 1 is not marked anywhere with its Type number.
Type E, Type 2, Type 3, most Type 4's, and Type 5 have various styles of labels on the top of the jaws that identify them as a 79-001 and include the Type.
Type 1 has a jaw label very similar to the Type 2, 3, and 5, except that it has no Type number.
Some Type E's have an additional triangular jaw sticker: "selected for the DESIGN CENTRE LONDON".
Very rarely a Type E will have a label on the inside of an upper frame bracket with its original English model number, WM325 Type 3.
Some Type 1's have an additional jaw sticker: "R. D. 1972, HICKMAN DESIGNS LIMITED". ("R. D." means Registered Design, a designation within the United Kingdom's intellectual property system.)
The late Type 4's, plus the 6, 7, 8, and 9 have a "Caution" jaw label with patent numbers but no model or Type information. On the Type 4 and 6 this has a single U.S. patent number, on the Type 7 and 8 it has two, and on the Type 9 there are 14 U.S. patent numbers! The company name on this label changed slightly beginning with the Type 7.
Types E, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, as well as the first few weeks of Type 7 production, have the Type stamped in ink on the bottom surface of the jaw.
The Type 3 has its European model number (WM625 TYPE E02) etched into the steel at the rear edge of the step.
All models with steel H-frame have a label on the crossbar of the front H. On the Type 4 and 6, the label says "DELUXE DUAL HEIGHT WORKMATE", while on the Type 7, 8, and 9 it says "WORKMATE PORTABLE WORK CENTER & VISE". The crossbar label includes the model number (79-001) but not the Type number.
Type 7 and 8 have their model and Type in white lettering on a small black sticker applied to the inner face of one of the two upper side brackets that hold the jaws. According to Black & Decker's part diagrams, the Type 9 has this sticker also, but I have not seen one.
The 79-001's made in Canada usually have the Brockville production code stamped in ink on the bottom surface of the jaw. This won't directly tell you the Type number, but you can infer the Type number by where the code falls in my spreadsheet on the Brockville production codes page.
Later Type 8's and Type 9 combine the Brockville production code and the Type number into a single ink stamp. When this appears on a Type 8, it is usually on the bottom of the metal footrest; on the Type 9 on either the top or bottom.